Polian lands verbal commitment from impact running back

Nevada football coach Brian Polian has mentioned on more than one occasion this season that his team lacks that top-end, impact type of running back.

It might not anymore.

The verbal commitment of James Butler, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound back out of St. Francis High in Wheaton, Ill., could very well be the one player whom Polian points to on Feb. 5 as the key recruit of his 2014 class. That’s when a student-athlete is allowed to sign his Letter of Intent and when coaches are allowed to comment on recruitable athletes.

“(Nevada’s) getting one of the greatest young men I’ve ever known in my 44 years of coaching,” St. Francis coach Greg Purnell said. “You’re not only getting a great football player, but a great kid. …

“I really feel the University of Nevada is getting a premier running back. The only reason he’s probably not getting offered here in the Big Ten is because he did not have any junior film. … I’ll be very, very surprised if he’s not a star at Nevada and in the Mountain West.”

St. Francis' James Butler (25) looks up field for some running room against Marmion at Marmion in Aurora, Illinois on Oct. 11. (Larry Kane/Sun-Times Media file)

Butler said his official visit Saturday for the San Jose State game sealed the deal.

“I was a little iffy at first, but I really wanted to see what they had to offer,” he said Thursday morning from Purnell’s office. “I got to meet Coach Polian, my teammates, got to see the campus. I’ve always liked the West Coast. (The visit) was awesome …”

“Coach Polian told me straight up, ‘You’re the guy we want.’ I really felt the love there. All the players came up to me and gave me high-fives before the game.”

Two key events contributed to Butler’s decision to choose the Wolf Pack.

One, he transferred from Bartlett (Ill.) High after his sophomore year and had to sit out his junior year. Bartlett, like Wheaton, is a western Chicago suburb.

And, two, Lester Erb joined Polian’s staff as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach. Erb had been recruiting Butler since Butler’s sophomore year when Erb was at Iowa.

“Coach Erb is a big reason,” Butler said, referring to his decision to choose Nevada.

Purnell said most colleges, especially BCS-level schools, base their recruiting decisions on game tape from a player’s junior year, since most players are offered before their senior season begins. Because Butler had none, schools that had shown interest – like Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Vanderbilt, to name a few – went after other players.

“I think it affected me a lot,” Butler said. “During my sophomore year, a lot of schools said they couldn’t wait to see my junior film.”

Purnell said both he and Butler thought he would be able to transfer without having to sit out a year.

“When we found out he was going to be ineligible … I told him to go back to Bartlett High. ‘You’re going to need your junior film,’” Purnell said. “Twelve hours later he texted me and said, ‘I love it here. I’m going to stay’ It’s a testament to his character. He’s one of the most loyal, hard-working young men I’ve ever been around.”

Butler’s senior season was cut short by a concussion in the first quarter of the team’s ninth game. By that time, he had already had more than 100 yards in the game, and he finished the season with 1,185 yards on 138 carries (8.6 yards per carry) and 19 touchdowns. He also had eight receptions for 111 yards, and Purnell said he has great hands.

And Purnell said that was behind an offensive line that didn’t meet expectations this year.

“He’s very intense and hard working,” Purnell said. “And he’s a great student. He has a 3.4 (grade-point average). He was here one year (as a player) and he was elected homecoming king. That tells you about his character.”

Purnell said Butler has run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash in multiple football camps. He compared him with wide receiver and return specialist Tim Dwight, who at 5-8 and 180 pounds starred at Iowa and then played 10 seasons in the NFL.

“(Dwight) was the quickest kid I had ever seen,” Purnell said. “And James is 200 pounds. He’s 20 pounds heavier than Dwight ever was. He breaks tackles. He’s so strong. He has elusiveness in the hole, and his spin technique is one of the best I’ve seen.”

Butler said he plans to get to 215 to 220 pounds, which is the weight Polian had thrown out as being ideal for that “impact” running back he longed for.

Nevada returns Kendall Brock, who will be a senior in 2014, as well as Don Jackson (junior) and Chris Solomon (sophomore).

“Coach Polian was really honest with me,” said Butler, who plans to major in business. “Any coach who tells you you’re going to start as a freshman is lying to you. All he could promise was an opportunity.”

WOLF PACK FOOTBALL

Nevada (4-7, 3-5) has a bye this week and concludes the season against BYU at Mackay Stadium on Nov. 30.

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.